Not Quite Sure
by Hatter-Break
Summary: Ayame's childhood savior has turned against the Soul Society. In order to fight against him, her feelings must come out.
1. Chapter 1

The girl's back was to a wall, and there was nowhere else for her to run. She wasn't sure why, but a soul reaper had begun attacking innocent people throughout the Rukon District, and he had made her his next target. She stared up at the green-eyed man, her eyes wide and watering with fear, and her body trembling uncontrollably. With a wide grin, the soul reaper brought his sword down. The girl let out a shriek, closed her eyes, and put her hands over her head, though she knew it was useless. She waited for the pain, but it never came. She took a risk, opened an eye, and gasped. A tall, lithe man in a long white outfit stood in front of her, facing the soul reaper.

"Kouga, that's enough, you're taking this too far. The people of the Rukon district are innocent, they have not wronged you in any way." The man's voice was calm and collected as he spoke. The soul reaper let out a growl.

"Muramasa, what the hell do you think you're doing?" the soul reaper demanded. "You're nothing more than a sword!" he snapped. "I am your master! You must obey me!" The man in front of the girl, Muramasa, sighed.

"I see..." Without a warning, he whipped around, and grabbed the girl's wrist. "Run!" Without question, the girl allowed him to pull her through the narrow streets, as the soul reaper, Kouga, persued them. They ducked into an old building, and Muramasa allowed the girl to sit down. He kneeled down beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"What's going o-" He covered the girl's mouth. She noticed how long his finger nails were.

"We need to be quiet. I'm conceling our spiritual energy, but that won't stop him from hearing us." The girl nodded, and he moved his hand from her mouth. For a moment, she just stared at him, taking a moment to take in his handsome appearance. He had a pale face framed by dark brown hair. His eyes were a pale, icy blue, and they were circled by purple markings.

"M-Muramasa...you're a weapon?" he nodded. "I-I'm Ayame..." she said timidly. Muramasa smiled.

"Well then Ayame, I need to leave you. If you stay in here for just a little longer you should be safe." He stood, but Ayame grabbed his sleeve.

"Won't that soul reaper hurt you?" He chuckled.

"No, of course not. He will be angry, but I'm his zanpakuto, he wouldn't harm me, that's how our bond works," he reassured her. Without another word, he left the abandoned building.

**Several Hundered Years Later**

Ayame sat on the ground, her zanpakuto clutched tightly in her hands, her brow furrowed.

"What's wrong Ayame?" She looked up at her redheaded liutenent, and scowled at him.

"What the hell do you think is wrong Renji?" she snapped bitterly. "People are being attacked by their own weapons, and our captain is nowhere to be found!" Renji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know, I know, but...I can tell there's something more. I mean, it's not like you lost your zanpakuto, right?"

"Of course not, Getsuro Omotta would never be lured in by Muramasa, he specializes in dispelling deception after all," she said, indignantly.

"Right, so what reason do you have to lock yourself in here, and be more upset than anybody else?" Ayame gritted her teeth.

"There's nothing wrong, okay? Just get out!" Renji blinked, then without a word, he left the girl alone. "Muramasa...why...why are you doing this?" she murmered. She then stood, making a decision. "Getsura Omotta...I need you to do me a favor."

"I've been accepted Ayame, I know where they are!" a large silver and blue wolf announced as he approached Ayame. He bowed. "I'm sorry it took me several days, they were wary of my sudden desire to join them, however, I mangaged to convince them." Ayame grinned, and pet the wolf.

"Don't worry about it Getsura Omotta, you did well. Now, take me to them, please." The wolf nodded it's huge head.

"As you wish my master." He allowed Ayame to climb onto his back, then bolted towards the base of operations for the rebelling zanpakuto. She was taken to a well hidden cavern. She jumped off of her zanpakuto's back, and began cautiously into the cavern, Getsura Omotta padding along beside her. Chills ran up her spine as she could sense the powerful energies that radiated from the zanpakuto. She could feel it all around her, and it frightened her. She knew the power that her friends and allies possessed, and to have it turned against her was not something she had ever been prepared for. She grabbed a handful of Getsura Omotta's fur. Though it was a strange feeling to have him manifested beside her, she found that his thick fur was more comforting than the hilt of a sword would have been. Soon the passage they had been walking down opened up into a large area. The room had a greenish glow throughout it. Most of the area was filled by a still lake. Ayame's eyes narrowed as she took a defensive stance.

"Gottcha!" a voice hissed from behind her. She gasped, eyes widening, as she spun, and ducked, narrowly avoiding her attacker.

"Damnit..." she grumbled. "Show yourself!" A wicked, high pitched laugh echoed through the cave. Suddenly, a demon-like creature appeared before her, two double sided scythes in his hands. He had viciously sharp features, and white eyes that stood out brightly against the shadowy darkness of his body. Though she didn't know his name, Ayame recognized the weapons immediatly. "So, you're Shuhei's blade." He ignored her.

"So Fido, only with us one day, and you're already chomping at the bit to betray us? I knew we should have just killed you on the spot!" the zanpakuto said, sounding almost amused. Getsura Omotta bared his teeth and growled.

"Don't try me," the wolf snarled, clawing at the rocky ground. The zanpakuto laughed again.

"Oh, I'm so scared!" he mocked. Suddenly, he disappeared, and reappeared again right behind Ayame. She reached for her sword to block the attack, however, she was shoved out of the way by Getsura Omotta. His coat had turned into solid silver as a shield, the it returned to its normal state.

"Ayame, stay back, I'll take care of him. You're no match for him with just a regular sword." Ayame nodded in agreement with her zanpakuto. The wolf's fur began to grow longer, turning into tendrils of liquid silver that hardened as they wrapped around his opponent's arms.

"You think that will stop me?" the zanpakuto questioned incredulously. He twisted unnaturally, until the silver reached it's breaking point. Rather than shattering, it returned to a liquid state, and reformed into the strands. The enemy zanpakuto laughed, and raised one of his blades, ready to run at, and strike Getsura Omotta.

"Kazeshini, I've seen quite enough. Is that any way to treat our guests?" Kazeshini's eyes widened at the sound of the calm voice. He let out a confused grunt as he dropped his weapon, and turned to see who had spoken. It was a tall man in white, with dark brown hair, and piercing blue eyes.

"But Muramasa, he-"

"I'm well aware of what he's done. I've been fully aware of his intentions since he finally responded to my voice several days ago." Kazeshini let out a frusterated huff, but backed down. The wolf blinked, surprised that he hadn't been able to hide his intentions. As Muramasa began to approach Ayame, Getsura Omotta darted to her side protectively. Muramasa chuckled at this. "There is no need for you to worry, I have no intentions of hurting your master. She and I have somewhat of a history, however brief a history it may be." Ayame blinked.

"Muramasa...you remember me?" He focused on her with his icy orbs.

"Of course I do Ayame, though you have grown, you are still recognizable. It seems you remember me as well."

"How could I forget..." He nodded, then motioned towards her zanpakuto.

"It seems you've grown in more ways than one. You have a powerful weapon. I knew when I saw you that day that you had great potential," he explained. Ayame said nothing. "I suppose the reason you came here was not to make small talk, or to reminisce. I assume you're trying to find my intentions for the Soul Society so you can return and warn them." She shook her head.

"No, that's not it." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh? Then what is your purpose?" Ayame took a breath, and sighed. Getsura Omotta pressed his flank against her reassuringly.

"First, I want to ask you something. Why did you save me that day? Why not stop your master sooner, or not at all?" Muramasa looked like the question had caught him off guard, but he quickly recovered his composure.

"To answer that honestly, I have no answer." Ayame eyed him for a moment, then, satisfied that he was telling the truth, continued.

"Muramasa, you saved my life when I was a child, and that is something I will never forget. You are not only the reason I'm alive, but also the reason I am now a soul reaper. Many find it surprising that I was attacked by a soul reaper, yet still chose to become one myself, but they don't understand. The experiance I took from that memory was not the fear that gripped me as your master loomed over me, but the safety I felt the moment you showed up. I became a soul reaper in the hopes of gaining a zanpakuto that brought me that same sense of strength and protection." She patted Getsura Omotta. "That's exactly what I've gotten. So Muramasa..." She paused, then bowed. "I thank you." A small smile played on his lips as she straightened up.

"So Ayame, am I to take it that you're smarter than these other soul reapers?" He held out a hand to her. "Are you going to stand by my side in this fight?" She shook her head vigerously.

"No way in hell," she said defiantly. Muramasa was taken a back, confusion clear in his widened blue eyes. "You're misinterpreting my intentions. You see, it is true that I am grateful to you, and that was my purpose in coming here, to express that to you. I never did get to thank you after that day, so fighting you would have been difficult for me. The fact that the only sign of grattitude you would ever recive from me would be the drawing of my sword against you weighed heavily on my mind. Now, though I will still find it a challenge, I am ready to fight you with everything I've got!" Muramasa sighed, closing his eyes, and shaking his head.

"I see...well Ayame, it's a shame not to have you by my side, however, I do respect your wishes." As he spoke, he stepped closer to her, making her zanpakuto tense up.

"Easy..." she said quietly. When he was no more than in inch in front of her, he rested a hand on the side of her face, his long nails gently brushing her skin. She panicked. She knew that Getsura Omotta had avoided Muramasa's lure before simply because Muramasa's power had been weakened by the fact that it had been spread out to all of the soul reapers. Then it was a simple matter of deflecting his influence. If he had his ability completely focused on her, there was no garuntee that Getsura Omotta could fight the infiltration this time around. She could hear the wolf beside her let out a whimper. He knew as well.

"It seems that the only thing we can do..." Muramasa began. Ayame shut her eyes tightly. "...is let the battle play out..." Ayame tightly grabbed the fur of her zanpakuto, urging him to resist any influence he may have been feeling. "...and see who prevails." Her skin tingled as Ayame felt Muramasa's lips slightly graze hers as he spoke the last four words. Before she fully understood what was happening, Muramasa had captured her lips with his own. Ayame's eyes snapped open in surprise, but slowly her lids fell again. Thoughts buzzed through her head. Muramasa was an enemy. She had only met him one other time, when she was a child. He was a zanpakuto, a weapon, a being that wan't meant to be more than a sword. She couldn't figure out for the life of her why the kiss felt so right, but it did. The moment ended as suddenly as it had begun, when Muramasa pulled away from her, hand still on her face. Ayame scanned his features, but they were unreadable.

"Mur-" she began, before being cut off.

"Senbonzakura, if you would please." Ayame blinked, her eyes widening.

"Yes Muramasa." replied a disembodied voice.

"Byakuya's zanpakuto?" she murmured, scanning the cave for the sword. "Muramasa, what are you-" Suddenly, a numbing cold spread from her waist to the rest of her body, yet she wasn't in pain. She collapsed to the ground, her legs unable to hold her.

"Ayame, should this battle mean that our swords are fated to clash, then understand that all of my feelings will be tossed aside. Understand that I will not hesitate to cut you down," Muramasa said, his voice sounding distant, as he kneeled beside her.

"Mu..Mura...masa..." She could feel him rest a hand on the top of her head.

"Also know this Ayame. I cannot say why, it is just something I knew would happen since I met you that day, but, no matter the turn out of this struggle, I will love you." Ayame could remember no more of what happened following those words, for her mind went blank as she lost conciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ayame...Ayame, wake up...Ayame!" The girl's eyes fluttered open, and all she could make out was a blurry figure. Her eyes snapped wide open, and she quickly grabbed her sword, holding it up, her breath coming in quick heavy gasps. She felt the warmth of Getsura Omotta as he pressed against her back.

"Ayame, relax, you are safe," he said comfortingly in her ear. She blinked, the blurred figure taking form, with bright orange hair, and big chocolate brown eyes that were filled to the brim with surprise and concern. She dropped her sword, and let her arms fall to the side.

"I...Ichigo? Where are we? How did I get...here?" Ichigo sighed.

"Well, we're in the forest outside the Seireitei. As for how you got here, I was going to ask you that. I found you unconcious, but you don't have any injuries. Do you remember anything?" he asked, kneeling beside her.

"I..." she let out a small breath. She put her fingers tenderly to her lips, where a ghost of the feeling of Muramasa'a lips on hers refused to fade. She shook her head. "No...I don't remember anything. Not a thing." Ichigo scratched his head, frowning.

"You weren't attacked by Muramasa, were you?" Ayame blinked.

"Wh-why would you think that?"

"Well, you kept muttering his name over, and over." She looked down at the ground.

"Oh...did I?" Ichigo nodded. "I don't know why that would be..." the two of them sat in silence for a while, before Ichigo finally stood with sigh. He held a hand out to Ayame, and helped her up to her feet.

"We should get back to the Seireitei, before people start to wonder where you are." Ayame nodded in agreement. Before they started back, Ayame took one last sweeping glance around the woods surrounding them, in hopes of spotting the cavern, however, it was nowhere to be seen.

Days of struggling against the zanpakuto. Days of losing good soul reapers to their own swords. Days of sruggling with her emotions, all led Ayame up to the scene she now gazed upon with wide, frightened eyes. She now stood in the human world, watching Muramasa's victory over the soul society. He stood in front of a large black coffin, sealed by four golden lances. He was freeing his master, Kouga Kuchiki. As the blades burst from the coffin, landing on the ground, the coffin burst open, and there stood a decrepit soul reaper. He glared down at Muramasa with emerald eyes that Ayame recognized all too well.

"Kouga..." Muramasa said, his expression one of utter happiness. He seemed oblivious to the contempt that smouldered in Kouga's eyes. Ayame watched Kouga carefully, trying to predict his next actions. When she saw him reach for a broken sword, she gasped.

"Muramasa, get out of there!" she warned. He glanced at her, confused, and suddenly Kouga lunged forward. Ayame lept between the soul reaper and his zanpakuto, blocking Kouga's attack.

"Ayame stop!" Getsura Omotta pleaded, but didn't interfere.

"What are you doing you foolish girl?" he demanded.

"Returning a favor." she repiled, then slashed at him. He dodged with ease. "What the hell kind of soul reaper are you?" she snapped. He swung at her, and she blocked his blade. "You just tried to attack your own zanpakuto! He's a part of you! He's meant to be your partner, your friend!" She swung several times, but each time her sword failed to connect.

"What are you rambling about? Zanpakutos are nothing more than tools. That's all Muramasa ever was!" Ayame glanced back at Muramasa. He was stunned, and looked as though a tight painful grip had latched onto his heart. Ayame let out a growl.

"He trusted in his bond with you! All of those years ago, he trusted that your bond would keep him safe, that it would prevent you from hurting him! How could you betray his trust like that?" Kouga's eyes narrowed.

"He betrayed my trust. He never answered to my call...Now, I've grown impatient with you girl!" he lunged at Ayame, and she blocked the jab with her sword. She smirked, but suddenly her sword snapped with a metallic ring. Her breath left her, and her eyes widened as his blade hit its mark. She dropped her now broken weapon, and fell to her knees, coughing. Ayame heard Muramasa let out a gasp behind her. He was by her side in a split second.

"Ayame...K-Kouga...why? I thought-"

"Did you have the same foolish mindset as this girl? Did you think we were partners? Friends?" He spat the words out with disgust. Muramasa just stared at him, unsure of what to say. "Like I've said, you are nothing more than a tool to me. You are inferior to me. This bond you put so much faith in never existed." Muramasa fell to his knees beside Ayame.

"Muramasa..." she choked out, clutching her stomach. He looked over at her, his blue eyes wide. The expression in his eyes worried Ayame. It was as if he was the verge of breaking, and giving into the madness that had been slowly consuming him since he had been parted from his master. "Don't listen to him... You aren't inferior to him. There may have been a time when you were his equal, but you were never a lesser being than him. No..." Her eyes became fiery with rage as she glared up at Kouga. "He's the inferior one. You've devoted everything to saving him. Though you were wrong...nobody could blame you. You suffered emotionally and physically for him, and what has he done? He's betrayed you. That makes him the inferior one." Muramasa blinked.

"Ay...Ayame..."

"Shut up girl!' Kouga demanded, thrusting his foot into her gut. She doubled over, and fell to the ground, coughing.

"Ayame!" Muramasa quickly positioned himself between the injured girl, and his master. Ayame chuckled grimly. "Hm?" Muramasa looked back at her, confused.

"It seems I owe you again. Too bad I won't be able to repay you this time..." He blinked.

"Wh-what?"

"Thank you...Muramasa..." Ayame gave into the pain she was suffering from, and everything went black. Before she completely lost conciousness, she heard several people cry out her name, followed by the howl of a wolf.

Ayame's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was dazed for a moment, as she glanced around. "Wh-where am I?"

"You're in the squad four medical ward." Captain Unohana was standing over her with a smile. "You're injuries were severe, but not fatal. You had two broken ribs, and a tear in your muscle. You'll make a full recovery in no time," she explained.

"Th-thank you." Ayame felt something cold and wet brush her hand, and noticed Getsura Omotta pushing his head under her arm.

"If it weren't for him, you may not have survived." Ayame nodded.

"I know...you used the silver to make a small barrier right before his sword would have stabbed me. All I got of that attack was brutal impact. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Ayame. What kind of zanpakuto would I be if I coudn't protect my own master?" She smiled, then gasped.

"Wait, what happened to Kouga?"

"He's gone," Unohana assured. Getsura Omotta nodded.

""Byakuya and Senbonzakura defeated him."

"And Muramasa? What of him?" she asked, deeply concerned. Before either of them could answer, they were interrupted.

"Ayame!" An orange-haired soul reaper burst into the ward. "Ayame, you're awake!" She giggled.

"Yes Ichigo, I'm fine, don't worry about me." He smiled.

"You gave everyone quite a scare back there. Especially Muramasa," he said.

"Where is he?" She asked urgantly.

"Safe. Once again, thanks to your zanpakuto." Unohana said calmly. Ayame blinked, then gave a relieved smile.

"B-but how? If Kouga is dead, then wouldn't-"

"Yes, Muramasa would have died with him, and he almost did. As he was fading, Getsura Omotta gave him some of his spirit energy, allowing Muramasa to survive." Ayame grinned, and hugged the wolve's huge head. He smiled, and licked her on the cheek.

"Where is he?" Unohana nodded over to a bed across the room.

"Recouperating. He's going to need a lot more rest than you are." Ayame nodded.

"After you passed out, he put up quite a fight," Ichigo explained. "It's probably a good thing you didn't see him like that..."

"Ayame, Unohana needs to see you in the squad four barracks!" Getsura Omotta said exitedly, shiffting on his paws. Ayame grinned as he took off, and she ran after him.

"Ah, Ayame, I see you came in a hurry! He's awake." Isane Kotetsu said as Ayame ran into the medical ward.

"Thank you so much Isane!" she said with a quick bow, before walking over to his bed. "Muramasa?" she asked quietly. He looked up at her with his icy blue eyes.

"Ayame...you're alright? I'm glad..." She kneeled down beside the bed. He sighed, and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry. I made a mess of everything. Had I not released Kouga, you never would have gotten hurt, I-" She put a finger to his lips, and he blinked.

"Shh...Don't worry about any of that. You have to focus on getting better. What's done is done, and there's no going back. Just leave the past behind you." She gave him a soft smile, and hesitantly, he returned the smile.

"I see you're already here." Ayame turned to see Unohana walk into the room. "Now, there is something I need to explain. Muramasa now has Getsura Omotta's spirit energy inside of him. Naturally, this means he can reside within your inner world. However, having two beings residing in one's inner world can be highly taxing on the soul reaper, and can be fatal."

"But, what about Ichigo? He has two beings in his inner world," Ayame argued.

"Ichigo is a special case. His hollow resides in that world through Ichigo's power itself, rather than a seperate power. Though zanpakutos and soul reapers work as one, they survive on seperate spiritual energies." Ayame nodded in understanding.

"Then I will not reside in her inner world. I will simply remain in this form," Muramasa said decisively. Unohana nodded.

"I excpected that that would be your decision. Now, don't stay for much longer Ayame, Muramasa needs to rest."

"Yes ma'am." Unohana left, and Ayame turned back to Muramasa. "Guess I will be able to repay you, won't I?" He chuckled.

"Put the past behind you," he said, quoting her. She laughed, and stood.

"I'll be back to visit you everyday until Unohana lets you out," she promised, then turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing." She turned back around, bent over, and planted a kiss on his nose. "I'm not quite sure, but...I think I love you too Muramasa."


End file.
